The Racine Police Department Thursday announced that two sex offenders will be released back into the greater Racine community on May 31.
Damen Lowe is a former Racine police officer who was convicted by a jury in 2010 of sexually assaulting a teenage girl from the ages of 13 to 15 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. At his sentencing, he maintained his innocence and wouldn’t take responsibility, a story on Madison.com reads.
“It’s reflecting in the pre-sentence report that I don’t accept responsibility,” he is quoted as saying. “I do maintain my innocence.”
Online records indicate that the court had ordered Lowe to have no contact with the girl unless her mother and a state agent both approved. That order was modified on May 3, 2022, to clarify that the mother only has authority until the girl reaches the age of majority while the agent has authority no matter the girl’s age.
Daniel Wortman was charged in 2016 with 10 counts of possessing child pornography after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified authorities that three images of child pornography were sent to the UK from his computer. Investigators located those – and additional images – on his computer.
In a deal with the state in 2017, he pleaded guilty to three of the 10 charges and was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervision.
As a condition of their release, both Lowe and Wortman are prohibited from having unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 or using drugs, and they must register as sex offenders. Lowe will be relocated to the 4600 block of Durand Avenue, and Wortman to the 1400 block of Cleveland Avenue.
Registry for Sex Offenders
The National Sex Offender Public Website and the State of Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry offer a variety of ways to search for registered sex offenders, including by name and zip code. The national registry allows for up to five zip codes within a single search. The State of Wisconsin’s website, however, offers the option to search an entire city, which is a plus for ones such as Racine’s, with eight.
Locating registered sex offenders residing within a certain proximity to your home can serve as a layer of precaution. Both sites, however, carry warnings against the misuse of information. Misuse would be considered anything that would “to threaten, intimidate, or harass any individual, including registrants or family members, or who otherwise misuses this information may be subject to criminal prosecution or civil liability under federal and/or state law,” per the National Sex Offender Public Website.
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